6. Damon

CHAPTER 6

DAMON

He couldn't be late. That was the thing that had run through his mind half the day. And the closer it got to the time he was supposed to pick Taylor up, the more he thought about it. That was how Damon ended up parked around the corner from the Bennett's house at twenty to six. It was too early to show up, but now at least the goblin in Damon's brain was satisfied that he wasn't going to be late.

Instead, it was now chastising him for being too early. Hence the parking around the corner. He didn't want to show up too early either. Would it be poor form to text Nash for luck? For advice? For moral support? Probably.

Instead, Damon texted Jonah. Their friendship had evolved in recent months, somewhere around the time Damon started sneaking around with Nash. Then shortly after that, Jonah and Spencer had started seeing each other. Damon liked Spencer and Jonah together. They were a couple that made sense. They were well suited and it was obvious they were crazy about each other.

Jonah sent an image back to Damon, showing off a tower of papers he had to mark. Damon replied that if Jonah gave his students less homework, he'd have less to grade.

Jonah sent back a row of crying face emojis.

Damon looked at the time and groaned. Only a few minutes had passed. If he showed up now, he'd still be ridiculously early. Damon's phone buzzed with a text from Nash.

Have a wonderful time

It might not look like the most enthusiastic text on the planet, but Nash's blessing meant everything to Damon. Nash was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

So what the fuck was Damon even doing? He had a perfectly good thing with Nash. Was he willing to risk it? But Nash didn't make it feel like a risk. He'd been great about the whole thing. Supportive and understanding. He made Damon feel like it was normal to be involved with one person while pursuing his interest in another. Had it not been for Nash, he might never have asked Taylor on a date.

And he couldn't back out now anyway. Not that he wanted to. Taylor would be upset and Damon would hate himself for disappointing him. Besides, it was now five minutes until six and he could cease his endless loop of anxiety and go pick up Taylor.

He pulled up in front of the house but used the gate to take him to the basement door at the back of the house. The little gift he'd picked up for Taylor was in his coat pocket. He figured gift wrapping it might be a bit much, but he regretted not doing it now.

Damon had barely knocked when the door swung open. Taylor greeted him with a stunning smile. His curly blonde hair had the whole just-rolled-out-of-bed-all-sexy-like-this look to it. He wore a pair of dark red skinny jeans with an oversized cream-colored sweater with a wide neck opening that slid to one side, showing off the strap of a tank top underneath.

"You look incredible." Damon said, suddenly breathless. He wasn't sure how to greet Taylor now that he was here to pick him up for a date. Did he hug him? Handshake? Kissing was probably too forward. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gift he got before he lost his nerve.

"Here." Damon thrust it at Taylor. "This is for you."

He bit his tongue to keep himself from blathering on about how he didn't think Taylor would want cut flowers, and he clearly had enough plants.

"It's a tree frog." Taylor took the ornament from him and smiled at it, then at Damon.

"It's for your plants." Damon stated the obvious, unable to keep his nerves at bay.

"He's perfect. Thank you." Taylor reached over and set the frog gently into the soil of some sort of potted plant that was near the door. He grabbed a jacket off the hook and stuffed his keys into his pocket. "I almost don't want to leave him behind."

"I'm sure he won't mind," Damon said, earning him a smile from Taylor.

"You're right. He looks pretty cozy there. Thank you." Taylor stepped outside and pulled the door shut.

Damon wanted to take his hand, but he was never good at this sort of thing. He always second-guessed himself. He did better when someone took the initiative. Maybe one day he'd be able to tell Taylor stuff like that.

Damon opened the passenger door for Taylor, who blushed prettily and thanked him before sliding into the car. Damon jogged around to the other side and got in. Glancing up at the house, his thoughts must have been written on his face.

"Dad won't say anything."

"I wasn't really worried about it," Damon said.

"Even though I have two older brothers?"

Damon shrugged and backed out of the driveway. "They don't scare me."

"Famous last words."

Taylor laughed and Damon had to wonder how he was so relaxed when Damon was ready to jitter out of his skin.

Damon had chosen a laid-back sort of place for their first date. There was a little hole-in-the-wall bar not far from the roller rink that had great food. Though Damon didn't drink, he wanted to take Taylor somewhere that proved he saw him as an adult because the roller skating was a little juvenile, perhaps.

"I talked to Nash," Taylor blurted into the silence.

Damon glanced at him. "You did?"

"It's not that I'm inexperienced, but I'll admit that going out with a guy who I know has a boyfriend is different. And I know it's okay with him, but I needed to hear it from him."

Damon let out a heavy breath. Taylor's confession took some of the weight off Damon's chest. That he was also concerned about Nash and how everything between the three of them was supposed to work. Nash seemed totally unaffected by the thought of Damon dating Taylor. It was nice that Taylor was unsure. It made Damon feel less alone.

"If he had a dollar for every time I asked him if it was really okay, he could retire by now," Damon admitted.

Their mutual confessions acted like a pressure release valve. The atmosphere in the car was suddenly lighter, and Damon found it easier to breathe. They'd probably need to have a lot of conversations about how they felt sharing him. It would be undoubtedly easier if Taylor dated both him and Nash.

Now there was an idea he could sink his… Okay, not going there. He shoved all thoughts of illicit threesomes out of his head. Tonight wasn't about that. It was about Taylor and showing him a good time. And making up for being somewhat of a jackass to him in the past.

The bar Damon chose didn't look like much on the outside, but he knew appearances in this case were most definitely deceiving. It was a cozy place, Damon thought. Or maybe he had shit taste. But either way, he liked the low hanging lights that hovered over the tables and the sturdy wood booths with thick padding covered in some kind of vinyl.

Taylor eyed the wall of liquor behind the bar. "That's quite a selection. Come here often?"

"Not for that." Damon grinned at him. A server came around and Damon instantly recognized him. "Hey, Randy."

"Hey, Damon. Oh, and friend." Randy raked his gaze over Taylor a little too appreciatively, but then he went right back to being professional. "What can I get you two?"

"I'll have a Blackberry Virgin Mojito."

"Me too," Taylor said.

"And can we get a jack burger with fries and a baked macaroni and cheese with garlic toast and salad?"

Randy took their order. "Anything else?"

Taylor leaned back, looking slightly amused. Once their server left, promising to return with drinks soon, Damon explained.

"I don't generally order for my dates, but trust me. We're going to split the burger and the mac and cheese, and you're going to have the best meal of your life."

Taylor's amusement softened. "I trust you." His voice was low and buttery, but there was a note of uncertainty to it too.

"I don't think I told you how stunning you look tonight."

"I think you did, but I could get used to you complimenting me." Taylor glanced away as though he were suddenly shy, but Damon reached across the table and took one of his hands before he could snatch it back.

"You look incredible, Taylor. And I'm sorry I didn't say so a long time ago. It was stupid, but I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Taylor's eyebrows scrunched together in a way that could only be described as adorable. He was genuinely perplexed. "What on earth did you have to be afraid of?"

Damon laughed, at himself mostly. "I'm afraid of a lot of things, Taylor. But I was afraid that if I said anything overly nice to you, everyone would see right through me and know how attracted to you I am. How much I like you."

Taylor let out a rush of air. "Oh."

His cheeks turned slightly pinkish and Damon wanted to trace the blush with his fingertips. Or his lips. If he was lucky, he might get a chance later.

Their drinks arrived and Taylor wasted no time taking a sip. "So, tell me, Damon. How did you find this place? It's not exactly eye-catching from the road."

It was true. The bar was tucked in the middle of a row of other businesses, clothing boutiques and shoe shops and other miscellaneous stores. Down the next block was the roller rink and Damon had witnessed many people come limping in, laughing and leaning on each other as they slid into booths.

"I wish I had a good story to tell you, but I found it one time when I accidentally joined a pub crawl."

Taylor laughed and took a sip of his drink. "How do you accidentally join a pub crawl?"

"I wasn't always a non-drinker and back before I quit, I stopped for one after work one day. Me and this guy start chatting and it's obvious he's into me. And he tells me that he and his friends are going to check out this other place nearby and I should come. Next thing I know, this is stop four or five. As soon as I'd finish a drink at one place, the guy I was with would haul me onto my feet and I'd end up following him to another place for another drink."

"It sounds more like you were kidnapped."

"By the time I got here, I was pretty done for. I all but melted into a booth. Thankfully, the guy I was with took pity on me and ordered me something to eat. Turns out, he and his friends did that all the time."

"Pub crawls?"

"It was some weird tradition of theirs. The guy felt bad for how drunk I got, though. He thought from the looks of me—his words—that I could hold my booze better."

Taylor wrinkled his nose, clearly unimpressed with the antics of someone who'd played a walk-on role in Damon's life.

"Anyway, I needed food to soak up the alcohol and I ordered the baked macaroni and cheese. And it was the best thing I'd ever eaten."

"What happened with the guy?"

"His friends kept crawling to a different pub, but he stuck with me until he was sure I was sober enough to get myself home."

Taylor's scowl deepened. "After all that, and he didn't even put out?"

Damon tipped his head back and laughed at how indignant Taylor was on his behalf. "We still text from time to time. He's not a bad guy, but getting laid had never been on his agenda that night."

"I suppose that's probably for the best, considering how wasted you got."

"I had such a hangover the next day too. But I'd at least had enough wits about me that I knew how to find this place. I don't usually bring dates here. I know it's not mine, but I like to think of it that way. Like it's my special place. I haven't drank since either."

"And you brought me here?"

Damon shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. "You're special too. It seemed appropriate."

Taylor looked happy beyond words and Damon felt like a fool for all the times he didn't pay Taylor the compliment he'd wanted to. Luckily, he had Nash, and Nash had made him stop being a moron. Damon gave his head a shake. He was here on a date with Taylor. He had to stop thinking about Nash.